Customer Reviews

Buena Vista Social Club Presents Omara Portuondo

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When I watched Buena Vista Social Club, I especially loved the studio recording of "Silencio" with Ibrahim Ferrer and Omara Portuondo and also "Veinte Anos" from the Carnegie Hall concert. When I listened to this CD for the first time, I couldn't believe just how good Omara Portuondo really sings. In a variety of Cuban styles (Guajira, Bolero, Mambo, Son, ...) she sings about lost love. But even though the themes of the songs are similar, the music is always completely different (sometimes even Jazz-like). I think at least half of the songs on this album are my favorite songs now. In case you just watched the movie but don't have the soundtrack, you should be aware that the version of "Veinte Anos" is very different from the version on the Buena Vista Social Club album (the movie soundtrack). It's much slower and has - except for the lyrics and tristess - not much in common with the "original". Beautiful music!

For those who are expecting dance music, this is definitely not your CD. The Billie Holiday comparision is apt in some ways: this is melancholy music, not your high charged son montuno or salsa. If you are looking for that type of music, go for some of the other BVSC discs. Some of these tracks are incredible -- and you don't have to listen to Ry Cooder's grating slide on every track. My personal favorite is "no me llores mas." This disc brougth back memories of one of my favorite singers of this type of mellow-er music: Esther Borja. Her CD's are out of print (many of them), but Portuondo sings many of the same songs that Borja sang, but with a much huskier voice. If you enjoy the more ballad-like side of Cuban music, you will not be able to get enough of this CD.

Listening to the ethereal voice of Omara Portuondo is a pleasure. This CD expounds greatly on the Buena Vista Social Club's recordings and showcases Cuba's greatest singer. Her voice is in the tradition of the great African American singers such as Sarah Vaughn, Morgana King and Ella Fitzgerald. I encourage you to sit back and take in every note of her precious voice. She will take you to another world...

The album of Omara Portuondo is superlative. The atmosphere andthe sound are similar to those of the album of Ibrahim Ferrer, but themusical arrangements are better balanced, and allow the listener to better appreciate the beautiful voice of Omara Portuondo. You will listen lot of different styles including mambo, bolero, son, and a composition of Gerschwin that is appropriate to justify the comparison of Omara with Billie Holliday. I hope this album will sell lots of copies, even if it's completely different from the bunch of stupid commercial latin-pop music that is invading the markets. Allow me to say that I suggest to listen this album to all the Cuban living in USA and those living in Cuba as well. This music is so nice that may help to conciliate the souls of the two communities and find out again the rich common cultural background.

I recommend this CD to anyone, Spanish-speaking or not. I just recently bought it, and I must say that I enjoyed all the songs, but my favorite one is "He perdido contigo". I wish I could compare her to another one of the great singers, but none come to mind. Her style and wonderful voice are unique, and her accompaniment is truly superb. This definitely won't be my last Omara Portuondo CD!

Another thing that I found particularly helpful was that Spanish as well as English lyrics are included in the booklet.

..and Omara Portuondo, although not in the prime of her singing career, shows that just for the memories and the love of music many beautiful songs can again be made almost new. This is a CD recorded and produced with great care so as to highlight Omara's voice. The most significant detail is that nowhere is Ry Coooder's guitar to be heard, and this in itself is a big plus. Ibrahim Ferrer's CD was overproduced and if "real Cuban music" lovers were bothered to hear that hawaiian guitar where it did not belong, don't be afraid, it is not here. Omora Portuondo's CD brings a collection of songs which we get to like and love more and more with every listening.

or any other time you want to let good music play an intrigal part of your day. Omara Portuondo is one of the talented Afro-Cuban musicians brought to the forefront of the US music scene through Wim Wender's and Ry Cooder's "Buena Vista Social Club". And she's wonderful.

Omara will hold you captive from her first sultry song, "La sitiera", and you'll be dancing unabashed around your living room to "Donde estabas tu?". She sings with a confidence, passion and character that few if any current US female vocalists can match. But what makes this CD truely superb is her backing band. They add so much musical depth to the CD, you're left begging for more. Which raises the question, "Why isn't there?". There are only 11 songs on this CD and, because of the depth and variety of those songs, there is definitly room for more. Not that it isn't satisfying. It is. But I think an opportunity to showcase the band a little more was wasted.

So if you're looking to expand your music listening repetoir, or ad to your Cuban/Latino collection, Omara won't let you down.

This is a remarkable album. Since I discovered a way to play the tracks in random order I literally leave this CD in my car for days at a time. Somehow playing the tracks in different orders makes each track fresher. Every track in this CD is memorable ranging from romantic boleros to danceable guajiras and sons. Portuondo is Cuba's answer to Cape Verde's Cesaria Evora. If you like Evora you will love Portuondo, especially if you can understand the lyrics in Spanish.

I feel this is a much better listening experience if you listen to any of the other Buena Vista Social Club albums on a regular basis. I admit, it's not my favorite...the overall tempo is slower than the soundtrack or either of Ibrahim's albums. However, it easily earns 5 stars...even on a 4 star scale. I just so happen to prefer the quicker time of the other albums. This album has a deeper more emotional tone. Maybe because the focus is placed on a woman unlike the other BVSC releases...I'm only speculating as I don't understand the lyrics.

I personally can't imagine having this album only, so be sure to take advantage of Amazon and the Marketplace's selection of Afro-Cuban music.

I'm not deep into Cuban music, and haven't heard of Omara Portuondo before, but I find this a beautiful and treasurable CD. She sings from the heart of a love that hurts, and in a number of styles including a couple I'm not familiar with: guajiro, bolero, mambo, habanera, etc. I especially enjoyed "Veinte Anos" with the trombone and bass dialogue as introduction. And I certainly wasn't expecting her version of Gershwin's "El hombre que you ame". The familiar "Siempre en Mi Corazon" was another favorite. Yet, I enjoyed each and every one of the other numbers. She has a dramatically expressive voice and can carry one with her emotion. If, as one reviewer indicates, her voice isn't what it once was, it still is, to me, one of the great voices one can hear.